African Union official decries Khashoggi's killing

By Tufan Aktas

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) - A senior official of the African Union (AU) Commission on Tuesday described Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing "unacceptable and terrible".

AU Commission Deputy Chairman Kwesi Quartey is the first official of the group to speak on the matter.

His remarks came during a reception organized by the Embassy of Azerbaijan and attended by diplomats.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, had gone missing since entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

After denying knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts for two weeks, Saudi Arabia on Saturday said he was killed during a fight inside its Istanbul consulate.

His body has not been recovered, nor has Saudi Arabia explained its shifting narrative on what transpired.

On the day of Khashoggi’s disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.

Earlier on Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the murder "premeditated".